Idaho Marriage Data

This dashboard contains data about marriages that occurred in Idaho, regardless of the state of residence of either party. This includes opposite sex and same-sex marriages. Statistics are provided on the number of marriages, characteristics of marriages, characteristics of spouses, and trends in marriages over time. Some statistics are only provided at the state level, whereas other statistics are also provided for specific public health districts (PHDs) and counties. In addition, some statistics are provided for all marriages that occurred in Idaho and others are also provided for specific spouse-title pairings, such as Bride-Groom and all other marriages. Data are published from the last five years for which finalized marriage record data are available. Data from previous years are available upon request.

This dashboard does not contain data about any marriages that occurred outside of Idaho, even those involving Idaho residents. This is because there is no agreement among states to share marriage certificates of residents that occur out of state.

The data presented in this dashboard are generated when a marriage is registered with the county recorder in the county the marriage license was issued. These records are then forwarded to the Idaho Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics (BVRHS). As part of the Idaho vital records program, data from each marriage certificate are validated and entered into a database of marriage records before being analyzed and published to this dashboard. The Idaho BVRHS manages all steps of this process. This includes inspecting each Idaho state record for promptness of filing, completeness, and accuracy of information; querying for missing or inconsistent information; numbering the records; preparing indexes; processing the records; issuing certified copies; storing the documents for permanent reference and safekeeping; and providing health statistics and analysis.

Unless otherwise stated, unknown data were excluded from analysis for all categories and visualizations in this dashboard. Unknown data are available upon request.

On October 7, 2014, the Ninth Circuit United States Court of Appeals ruled that the State of Idaho's prohibitions on same-sex marriage and the recognition of same-sex marriages from other states violated the 14th Amendment, Equal Protection clause, of the United States Constitution. These changes became effective on October 15, 2014. This ruling resulted in a review of Idaho Vital Statistics law and it was determined that it is legal to record same-sex couples on an Idaho marriage certificate. Prior to this ruling, information on the marriage license was always collected for the groom and bride. After this ruling, marriage licenses were revised in most counties.Marriage licenses vary - and were revised differently - by county. There is a check box for spouse title (Bride, Groom, or Partner) on the marriage license in every county, but not all counties have a check box for sex (Male or Female) on the marriage license. In counties where the marriage license has a check box for both sex and spouse title, it is possible for a person to mark their sex as female, but their title as "groom" and, vice versa, for a person to mark their sex as male and their title as "bride".Because sex data are not available for all counties, it is not possible to categorize marriages as same-sex or opposite-sex. However, it is possible to categorize different "types" of marriages based upon the combination of spouse titles. In this dashboard, some statistics are available for different "Marriage Types", which include: All Marriages (regardless of spouse titles, including both bride-groom marriages and non-bride-groom marriages). Bride-Groom Marriages, which only includes marriages involving one bride and one groom. All Other Marriages, which includes marriages involving two brides, two grooms, two partners, one bride and one partner, or one groom and one partner.Additional data on marriages not involving one bride and one groom beginning in October 2014 are available upon request.

For more information on the data contained in this dashboard, or to request additional vital events data not contained in this dashboard, please contact the Idaho Bureau of Vital Records and Health Statistics at (208) 334-6658.

For other dashboards from the Idaho BVRHS, please visit: https://www.gethealthy.dhw.idaho.govFor PDF reports from the Idaho BVRHS, please visit: https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/about-dhw/reports-and-statisticsFor the latest United States Vital Statistics data, please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/nvsr.htm